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Monday, June 30, 2014

Lavender Strawberries Prevent Chores From Seeming Endless

Lavender Strawberries Prevent Chores From Seeming Endless

“. . . he could see the green grass paths between the
lavender hedges, the purple masses of michaelmas daisies with the butterflies
sunning their wings upon them . . . and smell the damp sweet scent of it . . .
“ The Bird in the Tree Elizabeth Goudge

A decade ago, maybe more, as we’ve been writing for twenty, my pen
friend sent me a sachet filled with lavender flowers. It is sewn into the shape
of a strawberry. Charming. Though its sweet-woodsy fragrance has grown faint,
the Lavender Strawberry resides in my dresser to this day.

My Friend is to Blame

Keeping house and home teaching a sizable number of children, has been a
full-time job for my friend. She willingly works with her hands and head.
Cooking and laundry are continual. And high school students must do their
algebra. She has embraced her position as wife, mother, and home teacher. There
is nothing else in life she would rather do. But to prevent chores from seeming
endless she sets aside time for precious moments of Mother Culture. She has
learned to do her chores promptly and efficiently because she values a little
time to create. She also passes along the domestic arts to her daughters.
Sewing is a summer project along with bottling fruit. Anyway, my friend is to
blame for my Lavender Strawberry craze with her handmade gift to me all those
years ago.

Plump Strawberries

In late spring, Dean and I are sure to stop at an Amish farm to buy
homegrown strawberries. The fruit has a rich flavor. And the soft succulent texture surpasses that of supermarket offerings. I try to remember to return my
pint boxes to the roadside stand. But I save some to recycle in another way.
The pints make cute-and-clever containers for Lavender Strawberry Sachets. Four
plump Strawberries fill a pint. Place the pint in a 5 X 11 plastic candy bag,
tie with ribbon and you have a feminine gift unlike anything found in a
department store. Recently, I started using a bit of purple paper-crinkle
inside the box to make a nest for the Strawberries.

To preserve the freshness of the lavender flowers until gift giving, I
like to store my Strawberries in an empty pickle jar with some fabric tied on
top.

Nature’s Fragrance

There are few feminine crafts I enjoy more than Lavender Strawberries
for practicality. They gently sweeten up a dresser drawer, a closet, or
suitcase, the natural, old-fashioned way. Tossed into the clothes dryer, a
sachet will last three drying cycles. I tried this. For subsequent cycles
refresh with a drop of lavender essential oil at the top of the sachet. It is a
lovely way of incorporating essential oils in the day-to-day routine.

Short Creative Sittings

A busy mother has brief spaces of time in which to sit comfortably and
pick up a needle. Therefore, I’ve learned to carry the steps of
Strawberry-making over a series of days. “Short sittings” is the method I use.
I look forward to moments of leisure that are unhurried, and where supper is
not at risk of boiling over on the stove.

Fabric can be sewn into a cone and
stuffed to make a simple ornament. But what I call, deluxe Strawberries go a step further. They are lined and
ruffled with complimentary fabric.

A separate piece – the sachet of flowers - is nestled inside the fabric
envelope. Tied with ribbon it forms a ruffle instantly. Although the entire
project can be done by hand, I recommend a sewing machine.

The sachet is hand-finished – as easily as sewing a fabric yo-yo. I sit
by a sunlit window to spoon the lavender flowers into the sachet. The room
fills with fragrance.

Aromatherapy

Stressful days are all too common. Therefore, a craft with lavender
flowers is an added reprieve. It is said that the scent of lavender has a
calming effect. I am inclined to believe this. Queen Victoria had lavender
flowers strewn all around the castle and liked to have them replenished daily. It must have kept her gardener busy.

I love fabric and like to mix-and-match traditional calicos of purple
and green for my Strawberries. But this year I couldn’t resist making one set in
red. (Click any image to enlarge.)

Strawberries are quite cute in themselves. But now and again I sew on
tiny glass beads as seeds. For a wedding shower or get-well gift I may add
lace.

A Mother Culture Craft

For Mothers and Daughters

Some crafts are so cute they’re “catching.” This crossed my mind when I
made a new batch of Strawberries this spring and so I carefully recorded the
steps as I went along. Wishing to make it very convenient for mothers and
daughters to get started, I went further. I did a good amount of preparation. I
gathered materials. Then, I assembled a kit for my readers.

Only basic sewing skills are needed. My friend granted me permission to
use her design but the instructions are entirely mine. I couldn’t resist
picking out pictures from the pages of my antique books to lavishly illustrate
the instructions. I got carried away and even illustrated the patterns, which
you can see here in green on the chair. The fabric in kit is handpicked by me, pre-washed,
and purchased here in Amish Country.

Use the kit as a birthday gift or to enhance any home economics course –
and contribute to a beautiful girlhood.Age 12 up.

What’s in the Kit?

An assortment of 6 color-complimentary purple and green
fabric, satin ribbon, plenty of lavender flowers to fill 4 plump Strawberries,
easy-to-follow instructions, patterns printed and illustrated, color
photograph. Nigel did the graphic arts for me. We work well together. Made in the USA.

Lovely idea for a "short sitting" craft. They would make a perfect gift or something special to keep. You may not remember, but you made a lavender strawberry for me years ago--it is still sweetly scenting a drawer. Thank you once again! Sue R.

We are surrounded with rosemary at our house. My daughter's wedding is rapidly approaching. She is highly allergic to flower blooms. Rosemary seemed a lovely and fitting and great smelling alternative for decorating the reception and serving tables.

I like the lavender strawberries! A 25 year old sachet resides in a dresser drawer in our bedroom. It evokes fond memories of dear loved ones every time it surfaces.

The new header is lovely. I like to return to scenes in Appleton with the seasons - just yesterday, I read the chapter about Emilys birthday party at the river and the previous one about strawberry jam and fireflies... And the new header enhances my summer feelings.Wishing you bright summer days!

The fireflies ARE lovely this time of year! Our back yard is full of little twinkling golden lights every night now.

When my enthusiasm for homemaking wanes, Pocketful of Pinecones and Lessons at Blackberry Inn come to my rescue every time. The pervasive love for family and a home to house and nurture them inspires and encourages me.

I like the idea of following Carol and her family through the seasons.